Esper Hall

☆TWO☆

Penelope was preparing herself to take a shower. She was exhausted from her earlier travels and had chose to distance herself from both her mother and aunt. Especially since her aunt had been acting so peculiar.

She was obviously hiding something. Something dark and heavy. She'd sensed it from the moment she'd stepped inside this unique and strange place.

Penelope went into the bathroom, which was freezing cold, noticing that the window was wide open. She hurried to quickly close it as goosebumps rose on her skin. She struggled with the window finally managing to shut it firmly, shivering from the cold air.

She hurried over to the shower, twisting the hot water knob on and adjusting the temperature before moving to quickly to undress and slip beneath the hot stream of water, enjoying the feeling of the heat. Penelope stood there for a few minutes before finally beginning to wash herself.

Once she finally finished, she stepped out, the bathroom filled with steam from the hot shower. Penelope wrapped up in a fluffy, white towel. She turned and gasped. Written on the fogged up mirror said, "BOO."

****

Quinn Casey was driving down the road, as the sun dropped down low on the horizon, her eighteen year old niece, Laina Walker, seated in the passenger seat, scrolling through her phone.

"I do hope you're not going to be on that phone the entire time you're here," Quinn said. Laina didn't respond. She was too wrapped up in whatever she was looking at on her phone.

As they crested the hill, Quinn noticed that Esper Hall was all lit up. Usually there was only one or two lights on that she'd see whenever she'd have the nerve to drive past the creepy old manor house at night. That place really gave Quinn a fright. She'd heard the unsettling stories that surrounded the property.

Apparently there had been multiple murders in the place and a possible suicide or two. Some friends of Quinn's had actually been inside the old structure and said they'd seen things. Things that no one could explain.

"Is that the haunted house you're always talking about?" Quinn jumped at the sound of her niece's voice.

"Yes. That's the place. We'll have to drive by when it's lighter outside so you can have a proper look at it."

"It's look pretty spooky in the dark," Laina said, leaning forward, trying to get a better look at the massive place as her aunt slowed down just a little bit. They gawked for a few minutes before Quinn picked up speed again.

"It looks spooky regardless of the time of day."

"How old is it?" Quinn glanced over at her niece briefly. She remembered that Laina was interested in the supernatural and was constantly searching up old stories.

"Over two hundred years old, I believe," Quinn replied. "Some rich ancestor built it. Why someone would want something that big, I can't fathom."

"Probably had too much money to know what to do with," Laina remarked. Quinn couldn't disagree. She never understood why people did that shit. Probably because they didn't have much sense.

As Quinn continued onwards, heading for home on the dark road, her mind began to drift, thinking about the old manor house and what really happened there.

"Aunt Quinn, look out!" Laina cried suddenly, causing Quinn to slam on the brakes in a hurry. The car screeched to a halt just in time. Quinn saw a man, dressed entirely in black clothing, standing by the front of her car. His expression was blank and Quinn thought he must be high or drunk.

He simply stared at her and Laina for several minutes before finally walking away. Quinn's heart was pounding as she watched the man slip away, his retreating figure swallowed up by the darkness.